0:00

Today is Thursday, March 28th. We're

0:02

talking about the investigation into the Baltimore Bridge

0:04

collapse, what officials are now saying about how

0:06

the bridge was constructed. Also remembering

0:09

a long-time senator who often teamed up

0:11

with his colleagues across the aisle and

0:13

why there's a public health emergency in Puerto Rico.

0:16

Plus, it's about to get more expensive to drive around NYC,

0:19

which cities have been ranked the worst for allergies

0:21

in the US, and what to expect from the

0:24

first full day of Major League Baseball. Those stories

0:26

and even more news to know, next. Welcome,

0:31

welcome to The Newsworthy, all the day's

0:33

news in around 10 minutes. Fast, fair,

0:35

fun, and on the go. I'm Erica

0:37

Mandy, thanks so much for being here.

0:39

You ready? Let's do this. Investigators

0:45

have started to piece together more information

0:47

from the night of a Baltimore Bridge

0:49

collapse, starting with the cargo ship that

0:52

hit the bridge. They started reviewing

0:54

information from the ship's black box recorder. They

0:56

also boarded the ship, which is still mostly

0:58

intact, and they interviewed the ship's two pilots

1:00

and 21 regular crew members who are still

1:03

staying on board. The US

1:05

Coast Guard now says the ship actually got

1:07

routine engine maintenance in port before the crash,

1:10

but it's not clear if that had anything to do with

1:12

the power outage that made it go off course. The

1:15

ship was traveling under a Singapore flag, and

1:17

officials there say they'll conduct their own investigation

1:19

on top of supporting the American one. Officials

1:22

are also looking into the bridge itself,

1:25

and the head of the National Transportation Safety

1:27

Board said the Francis Scott Key Bridge was

1:29

constructed in such a way that it was

1:31

more vulnerable to collapse than newer bridges. The

1:34

full investigation could take up to two years.

1:37

The Coast Guard's next priorities are to get

1:39

the ship out of the water and restore

1:41

the waterway for shipping. At the

1:43

White House, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says

1:45

the federal government is focused on reopening

1:47

the port and rebuilding the bridge, but

1:50

he warned it will be a long and

1:52

difficult path to full recovery. Goods

1:54

worth $100 to $200 million move

1:56

through the port each day. So today,

1:59

Buttigieg is also... scheduled to meet with supply

2:01

chain officials. Texas

2:05

faced another setback in its attempt to

2:07

beef up immigration laws. For the

2:09

second time now, a federal appeals court has

2:11

put a temporary hold on the new state

2:13

law that lets any Texas law enforcement officer

2:15

arrest and deport migrants accused of entering the

2:18

country illegally. The same panel of

2:20

appeals judges will actually hear arguments on the law

2:22

next week. Now remember, this is

2:24

the law that the U S justice

2:26

department has been fighting against arguing it's

2:28

the federal government's job to regulate immigration

2:30

and that this law interferes, but

2:32

Texas is still pushing for it to go into

2:34

effect saying it needs to act since the federal

2:36

government isn't doing enough on itself. Coming

2:39

up this Saturday, we're talking to the woman known

2:41

as America's government teacher. You might know her as

2:43

Sharon says so all about this back and forth

2:45

in this case, as well as what to know

2:47

about the immigration laws already on the books and

2:49

who has the power to do anything about it.

2:51

That's this weekend special edition Saturday

2:53

episode. But

2:57

today the U S is saying goodbye to

2:59

a longtime Senator who became the first Jewish

3:01

American to be nominated on a major party's

3:03

ticket. Joe Lieberman's family says

3:05

he died yesterday from complications from a

3:07

fall. Although Lieberman was registered as

3:09

a Democrat, he always said he didn't

3:11

fit comfortably into the conventional political boxes

3:14

throughout his 24 year Senate career.

3:16

Lieberman supported abortion rights, environmental protections,

3:18

gay rights, and gun control. But

3:21

unlike other Democrats, he was known as a hawk

3:23

of foreign affairs and he became one

3:25

of the legislative fathers of the department of Homeland

3:27

security. Lieberman was chosen as Democrat Al

3:29

Gore's running mate for the 2000 presidential

3:32

election. One of the closest elections in

3:34

American history. Then Republican John McCain considered

3:36

picking him as his running mate in

3:38

2008 and Lieberman gave a

3:40

speech in which he endorsed McCain at the 2008 Republican

3:43

convention. Just last year, Lieberman

3:45

helped lead the no labels group, which is

3:47

a political organization designed to give America's a

3:50

third option in elections. That group

3:52

is still looking for a candidate to go up

3:54

against president Biden and former president Trump in November.

4:00

online disinformation campaigns that are harder

4:02

to trace and stop than past

4:04

efforts. The New York Times reports

4:06

campaigns linked to Russia's president and

4:08

military include look-alike websites that are

4:10

fake versions of legitimate news sites

4:12

in the U.S. and elsewhere. That's

4:14

on top of their influence campaigns on social media.

4:17

And American intelligence agencies say they don't think

4:19

the Russian government has begun its full-scale effort

4:22

just yet. The experts say

4:24

Russia's top goal is to lay the groundwork

4:26

to support candidates who are against helping Ukraine

4:28

or who call for pulling the U.S. back

4:30

from NATO and other alliances. And

4:32

it's expected to step things up before the November

4:34

election in the U.S. NASA

4:39

has unveiled the first moon toolkit

4:41

for astronauts since the Apollo missions.

4:44

It's in preparation for Artemis 3 moon mission,

4:46

set to launch in 2026. Three

4:49

tools were picked because they do actually require

4:51

humans to install them. One

4:54

of them is a gadget designed to monitor

4:56

moonquakes. Scientists are hoping it will

4:58

help them better understand how the moon was formed and

5:00

evolved over time. The next tool is an

5:02

experiment meant to study the potential for growing crops

5:04

on the moon. China did something

5:06

similar a few years ago and was able to

5:08

sprout a single cottonseed. But NASA is

5:11

hoping to actually grow plants through a full growth

5:13

cycle. And lastly, there's an

5:15

analyzer designed to measure how electrically conductive

5:17

the soil is. It will also

5:19

be able to search for possible signs of frost and

5:21

ice deposits. NASA says overall, the

5:24

goal is to lay the groundwork for a

5:26

long-term human presence on the moon, which

5:28

will then lead to crewed missions to Mars

5:30

as well. More

5:33

news still ahead, but first, support for this episode

5:35

comes from One Skin. It is spring

5:37

now and I thought it was interesting to learn

5:39

that our skin goes through a big transition between

5:42

seasons, not just on the surface, but at the

5:44

cellular level. So yes, protecting our

5:46

skin against the sun's UV rays is important,

5:48

but so is nurturing our skin even beyond

5:50

that. One Skin's products actually

5:52

work from the inside out with their scientifically

5:55

proven peptide called OS-1. And

5:57

I love when there's good data to back a product

5:59

up. In a third-party, 12-week

6:02

clinical study performed by third-party

6:04

research organization, OS1Face, which

6:06

I use every morning and night, by the

6:08

way, was clinically proven to strengthen the skin

6:10

barrier, improve skin health markers, and diminish visible

6:12

signs of aging. Wrinkles were diminished in 87%

6:15

of users. And

6:17

I can share that my personal experience aligns. I can truly

6:19

tell the difference in how my skin looks and feels after

6:21

just a few months of using it twice a day. One

6:24

Skin is the world's first skin longevity company.

6:26

By focusing on the cellular aspects of aging,

6:29

One Skin keeps your skin looking and acting

6:31

younger for longer. Get started today

6:33

with 15% off using code

6:35

NEWSWORTHY at onescane.co. That's

6:38

15% off onescane.co with

6:40

the code NEWSWORTHY. After

6:43

your purchase, we'll ask you where you heard about them, so please

6:45

be sure to support our show and tell them we sent you.

6:47

Help your skin stay younger and healthier

6:49

for longer with One Skin. Now

6:51

back to the news. New

6:55

York City is moving forward with America's

6:57

first congestion tolls. Transit

6:59

officials approved a $15 fee for drivers

7:01

headed to the busiest part of Manhattan,

7:03

the central business district, during daylight hours.

7:06

The tolls are higher for larger vehicles like

7:08

sightseeing buses and lower for motorcycles or late

7:10

night drivers. Supporters say this

7:12

will push more people to use public transportation and

7:15

free up the roads to speed up public buses

7:17

and emergency vehicles that don't have to pay. Plus,

7:20

the money made from tolls will go toward improving

7:22

the subway system. Most critics argue

7:24

the fees are just a burden on workers,

7:26

especially those who commute from other states or

7:28

boroughs, and already spend $15

7:30

in bridge and tunnel tolls. They

7:33

also say the extra cost will mean goods driven

7:35

to the city by truck will become more expensive.

7:38

If the congestion pricing plan survives legal

7:40

challenges, it is expected to go into

7:42

effect in June. Puerto

7:45

Rico has issued a public health emergency

7:48

in response to an unusually fast rise

7:50

in dengue cases. The island has

7:52

recorded about 550 cases of the mosquito borne

7:54

disease just so far this year. That's

7:57

a 140% increase as compared to the

7:59

same time. year. Most

8:01

people who get dengue will either be

8:03

asymptomatic or only deal with mild symptoms

8:05

like fever, muscle and joint pain, and

8:08

nausea. But in rare cases,

8:10

dengue can be serious and potentially deadly

8:13

and there's no specific medicine to treat it. So

8:15

Puerto Rico's public health emergency now

8:18

includes early detection, education, and more.

8:21

Dengue has been surging other places as

8:23

well like Brazil, Peru, and Argentina. The

8:25

CDC has issued warnings for Americans

8:27

traveling to several tropical and subtropical

8:29

areas. It says the best way

8:31

to protect yourself is to avoid getting bitten

8:34

by mosquitoes and you can do that the

8:36

usual ways like using insect repellent, wearing loose-fitting

8:38

clothing that covers your arms and legs, and

8:40

so on. It

8:44

seems the legal saga between Disney and

8:46

Florida's government is finally coming to an

8:48

end. This week, Walt Disney Co. reached

8:50

a settlement with allies of Governor Ron

8:52

DeSantis over control of Disney World's special

8:54

tax district. To recap, for half a

8:56

century Disney basically acted with the same authority as

8:58

a county government. But Governor DeSantis signed

9:00

a bill last year to take control of that

9:03

district. He handed that authority over

9:05

to the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight

9:07

District and appointed members to a board

9:09

of supervisors. DeSantis says he wanted

9:11

to make sure Disney paid its fair share

9:13

of taxes. But the timing caused a

9:16

lot of backlash. The governor's push for

9:18

the change came when Disney publicly clashed

9:20

with him over what critics call the

9:22

don't-say-gay law, the one that keeps

9:24

educators from giving lessons on sexual orientation

9:26

or gender identity. So Disney filed

9:28

a lawsuit against the governor over allegations

9:30

that the state was just retaliating and

9:32

violating the company's First Amendment rights. And

9:35

it went back and forth in court for a while. Well,

9:37

this new settlement ends that legal fight.

9:40

The newly supervised district does stay in place, but

9:42

the agreement means some of the deals made before

9:44

that change will be voided. It also

9:47

suggests Disney and the new board will negotiate a

9:49

new development agreement in the near future.

9:53

Dollar Tree is raising prices again. The discount chain

9:56

announced its items will now range from 125 to

9:58

75. A

10:01

big hike from the $5 price limit set less than

10:03

a year ago. Dollar Tree says

10:05

it's changing things up as a way to add new products.

10:08

Items closer to $7 will include food and snacks,

10:10

as well as pet and personal care products. But

10:12

the store says it will keep introducing new,

10:15

lower-cost items, too. Dollar Tree

10:17

CEO says customers will be able to afford the new

10:19

pricing model, too, since the chain is apparently seeing more

10:21

and more customers who earn more than six figures a

10:24

year. This also comes as the chain

10:26

is going through a bit of an overhaul, opening

10:28

hundreds of Dollar Tree stores while closing hundreds of

10:30

Family Dollar stores. Several thousand stores

10:32

are still standing. Baseball

10:36

fans, the wait is over. Today is opening

10:39

day for most teams in the MLB. This

10:41

is an exciting one, since several stars are set

10:43

to debut with new teams, and some top prospects

10:45

are coming up to the big leagues for the

10:47

first time. All 30 teams

10:50

were supposed to play today for the second straight

10:52

year, but a couple of games in New York

10:54

and Philadelphia ended up having to be postponed today

10:56

because of rain in the forecast. The Texas

10:58

Rangers are defending World Series champions, but

11:01

the Los Angeles Dodgers are entering the

11:03

new season as favorites. Of course,

11:05

anything can happen. The regular season continues through

11:07

the end of September. That's

11:10

it for the main news today, so now it's time for

11:13

a Thing to Know Thursday. But first, I want to take

11:15

a minute to talk about our sponsor, Vessi. I

11:17

know I feel better overall when I get

11:19

outside and I get active. But

11:21

when I don't have the right gear, especially when

11:23

the weather is unpredictable this spring, it's

11:26

harder to live that life that I really want. And

11:28

that's why I'm sort of obsessed now with

11:30

my Vessi shoes. I have two pairs and

11:32

I'm literally wearing at least one of them

11:34

every day because Vessis are so comfortable, they're

11:36

easy to get on and off when I'm

11:38

on the go, and they are

11:41

super stylish. I love how they look. Plus,

11:43

get this, they're also 100% waterproof. And

11:47

I really turn to my Stormburst high tops when

11:49

I'm ready for a bit more adventuring out and

11:51

about. They are so versatile though, I

11:54

can wear them for everyday errands and getting things

11:56

done, or taking them into the

11:58

elements, from beach days to walking. around the

12:00

city to a rainy day hike. Elevate

12:02

your spring wardrobe with Vessi's Stormburst

12:04

shoes. Discover more at vessi.com/newsworthy.

12:06

Get your pair today to

12:08

get an automatic 15% off

12:11

your first purchase at checkout and be

12:13

ready to step out in style, rain

12:16

or shine. Trust me, you will not

12:18

regret this. Go to vessi.com/newsworthy to get

12:20

your new favorite shoes with an automatic

12:22

15% off your first purchase

12:24

at checkout. Now back to Thing to Note

12:26

Thursday. Spring allergy season is here

12:28

and getting worse. Of course, a lot of

12:31

you already know that since it's believed more

12:33

than 100 million Americans deal with allergies, making

12:35

them one of the most common medical conditions

12:37

in the country. And now research

12:39

has shown that spring allergy seasons are beginning

12:42

about 20 days earlier than they used to.

12:44

Plus, pollen concentrations have risen about 20% since 1990

12:46

all around the country.

12:49

Scientists point to the effects of climate

12:52

change like warmer weather, more carbon dioxide

12:54

and more days without frost as reasons

12:56

for the extra intense allergy seasons. So

12:58

a lot of it depends on where you live. Just

13:01

this week, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of

13:03

America released a new report on the most

13:05

challenging places to live with allergies. Number

13:08

one on the list is Wichita,

13:10

Kansas, followed by Virginia Beach, Greenville,

13:12

South Carolina, Dallas, Texas and Oklahoma

13:14

City. All

13:18

right, thank you so much for listening today and making

13:20

us part of your daily routine. We'll catch you up

13:22

on more news to know tomorrow. Until then, have a

13:24

great day.